Symmetric tape round REBCO wire with Je (4.2 K, 15 T) beyond 450 A mm−2 at 15 mm bend radius: a viable candidate for future compact accelerator magnet applications

Abstract

Round REBCO (RE = rare earth) wires of 1.6–1.85 mm diameter have been fabricated using ultrathin REBCO tapes where the superconductor film is positioned near the geometric center. Such symmetric tape round (STAR) wires exhibit excellent tolerance to bend strain with a critical current retention of more than 97% when bent to a radius of 15 mm. A 1.6 mm diameter REBCO STAR wire made with six 2.5 mm wide symmetric tapes reached an engineering current density (Je) of 454 A mm−2 at 4.2 K in a background field of 15 T at a bend radius of 15 mm. Such superior performance at a small bend radius can enable fabrication of future accelerator magnets, operating at magnetic fields above 20 T.